


One Person's Folly

by gattai



Category: Jūni Taisen: Zodiac War
Genre: Alternate Universe - Domestic, Multi, Polyamory, Reader-Insert, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2019-01-23 23:27:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12519020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gattai/pseuds/gattai
Summary: Those with good intentions would have wished for world peace, to end poverty, or rid the world of illness. Unfortunately, you were no such person.





	One Person's Folly

When you regained consciousness, the first person to greet you was an old competitor. She wasn’t an easy fight—at least not in comparison to some of the previous fighters—but the difference in mentality between the two of you proved to be the decisive factor. Her eyes had been knocked out of their sockets and her jaw sat uneven against her opened chest. You remembered she screamed in her final moments, the sound shrill and laden with despair. That single cry sounded the end of everything; her hope, her life, her battle.

A second person came to greet you shortly after. They slowly approached from a distance, unperturbed despite the grisly sight of two bodies as a messy heap on the floor. Even as you made a sluggish attempt to lift your head, the light tapping of their shoes didn’t falter.

The strained effort revealed the blood-pooled, gaping maw of your deceased companion rather than the newcomer who was very much alive. _Her tongue’s missing_ , you thought absently though you soon discovered the missing appendage was merely an arm’s length away. Shriveled and gray, you assumed it was bitten off.

“Well done. That was an absolutely splendid performance.” At this point, there was only one person who could praise your abhorrent display of desperation, “Using your opponent to absorb the impact of a fall equaling certain death; only the most resolute choose to gamble their life in such a manner.” The host of the latest Jūni Taisen, the man Duodeculpe, applauded you as champion and the de facto winner.

You tried to rise, to meet him like the rightful victor you were, but your body weighed heavy and moved like feeble gelatin. As you heaved yourself off the mangled corpse below, your hand slid against something warm and wet. Slowly, the realization you laid in a gory puddle of entrails and shattered bone unfolded. They must have erupted from the force of hitting the ground.

Your memory then conjured a hazy vision of a skyscraper’s rooftop. Even with the aid of another person’s body, the fact you survived was nothing short of a miracle. Perhaps, in some mysterious way, your power shielded you from the fatal fall? It was the only conclusion you came to as all your strength was suddenly sapped away, and you unceremoniously rolled onto your back. You might not have died but your injuries were severe.

Duodeculpe, however, showed no sign of concern. With a flourish, the mysterious man offered a hand towards your battered and beaten body, “Now, allow me to grant your one heart's desire. Please tell me your wish.”

_My wish?_

Your eyes slowly panned between the older gentleman’s hand and face before they drifted towards the ceiling. There you saw a stained-glass window horrifically marred by a crumbling hole in its center. Undoubtedly, you’d fallen through it during your fight. Surely it was once a grand work of art. Painted in vibrant blues and rich yellows, it took up the entire space of the room. Now, because of one remarkably foolish decision, the mural and whatever significance it held was broken beyond repair.

The thought stirred something odd within you.

“I wish for…”

What did you fiercely fight for again? Wealth, love, fame? The answer vanished as soon as it touched your tongue. Hovering over the boundary of consciousness, you began to slip beneath a blanket of darkness. What awaited you once you awoke? War was bound to recur and the boundaries of the world map would be drawn again. You’d be forced to fight the battles of other’s over and over, and the cycle would continue until you were exhausted of all life. With this, however, you’d be able to rest. At least, for a small amount of time.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be referencing between Viz's translation of the novel and Funimation's dubbing/subbing of the anime for certain localisations. The rating and tags will be updated as it goes on too. Maybe I should pick up the manga as well? I'm not sure if it has its own unique content. Boy, this is a lot of dedication for a self indulgent domestic AU...
> 
> Anyway, superhuman powers appear to be the norm in the Jūni Taisen universe (unless you’re a mook of course), so what ability would you like to have? Which house of the zodiac would you fight for?
> 
> Knowing my luck, I'd be born with something completely useless. Thus, I would never be invited or chosen (˘̭⺫˘̭ ;)


End file.
